Review: Beth's Story, 1914 - Adele Whitby

Beth's Story, 1914 by Adele Whitby
Series: Secrets of the Manor #1
Genre: Middle Grade, historical fiction
Published on June 24, 2014
Published by Simon Spotlight
Pages: 148
Read From: 3.12.15 - 3.13.15












SYNOPSIS

The Chatswood family tree many branches and even more secrets. It's the summer of 1914 in England, and Beth Etheridge, great-granddaughter of the original Elizabeth Chatswood, can't wait for her twelfth birthday to arrive. That's when she'll receive her family's heirloom - Elizabeth's necklace: one half of a heart encrusted with beautiful sapphires. But when family from France visits Chatswood Manor for the occasion and another family heirloom goes missing, Beth finds herself on a quest to clear the name of her lady's maid and friend, Shannon. Her search for answers leads her to a hidden diary with clues to a much larger family mystery than dates back generations. What secrets are hidden away in Chatswood Manor?

Review

The first book in the Secrets of the Manor series, Readers are introduced to quick-witted, adventurous, imaginative eleven-year-old Beth. It is the eve of her twelfth birthday, when she will inherit the famous Elizabeth Necklace - a family heirloom passed down to every Elizabeth in her family on their twelfth birthday. Several of Beth's relatives are coming to witness the occasion, including Beth's snooty cousin Gabrielle.

Beth's party soon becomes the scene of mystery and intrigue, when her new lady's maid Shannon is accused of theft and it's revealed that the Elizabeth Necklace might in fact be the wrong one!

This was a fun, quick read with surprisingly historical accuracy and dialogue. The mystery is easy enough to solve for older readers, but I greatly enjoyed it regardless and look forward to seeing what happens next. As the secrets of the manor are slowly revealed.

Others in the Secrets of the Manor Series:

1)Beth's Story, 1914

2)Kate's Story, 1914

3)Elizabeth's Story, 1848

4)Katherine's Story, 1848

5)Betsy's Story, 1934

6)Kay's Story, 1934

7)Camille's Story, 1910

8)Claire's Story, 1910